Adventure of Dreams
by Anime-17
Summary: (sequel to Return of the Heartless) Sora starts having weird dreams. The heartless come back. What's in store? Another great adventure full of action and romance :) (rated T to be safe) COMPLETE! Please R&R!
1. Search for Sora

Author's note: I'm back! This is the sequel to my first Kingdom Hearts story, Return of the Heartless. I really hope that all of you will enjoy it! Happy, happy reading! (And, yes, different parts and/or scenes are divided by x's)

Anime17

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 1 Search for Sora**

"_Sora, what if Ansem comes back?...Everything will happen all over again…"_

_The worlds…have ceased to darkness…Is there no hope?...Is there no future?...How can this evil be stopped? The heartless are growing, there is no end…Or, is there?..._

_Will the keyblade fall to the greatness of darkness? Has it lost it's power?...Or, will light conquer all?_

_New heartless born, new ways to destroy…Darkness consumes the universe…_

…_..Is there light anywhere?_

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_Two years had passed…there had been no sign of danger on the island, and everything seemed normal…But, one day, all of that began to change….._

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Kairi, now eighteen, walked on the beach's shore, thinking to herself…

But, the thought of heartless wasn't in her mind. Everyone had figured they wouldn't come back.

She was alone now; no parents on the island with her. They had traveled somewhere else…to another world.

She had never visited them, now back in her hometown, but she didn't know why. Maybe she liked where she was and didn't want to leave. Her life was going well, with very few troubles, and friends to stay by her side whenever she needed them.

She thought everything was perfect the way it was…..

"Hey, Kairi!" a voice called.

She turned around. It was Riku.

"Have you seen Sora? I've been looking for him everywhere."

"No, I…haven't," Kairi thought that was odd.

"This is weird. I haven't seen him all day."

"Did you check at his house?"

"Of course I did. No one was there."

"Let's go check again."

When they reached Sora's front door, Kairi knocked.

"Sora?...Are you there?"

There was no answer.

"I told you," Riku said.

Kairi knocked again, and this time the door creaked open.

"Hello?" she called, "Sora?...Huh?" she looked on the table, "What's this?"

It was a note. She read it…..

Author's note: The next chapter will be a flashback to the past. At the end of the chapter, though, the present events will continue (just wanted to give you a heads up on that). Please R&R :)


	2. Flashback

Author's note: FYI- the flashback in this chapter is in _italics _and the rest is normal, okay? Enjoy!

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 2 Flashback**

It had all started a couple of days before…

_Kairi stepped outside for a moment and walked toward the dock, seeing Sora there. She sat next to him and asked, "Sora, is something wrong?"_

_He was silent, staring out into the open blue, his eyes fixed on the horizon._

"_Sora?" Kairi was concerned. There was a pause, and she sighed._

"_I had a dream…" Sora finally said._

_Kairi looked at him, listening intently._

"_They're coming," Sora never looked at her, "They're coming back…"_

"_What are you talking about?"_

_Sora finally looked at Kairi, "The door, Kairi! The heartless! They're coming here!"_

_Kairi didn't say a word._

"_Any time now they'll come…" Sora looked out into the ocean, "…I can feel it…"_

"_But, Sora, it was just a dream."_

"_Just a dream, Kairi? Just a dream?...It was real, I…I felt everything happening, I saw everything happening…" he paused, "…Don't you see, Kairi?...It always comes back to haunt us no matter what we do…"_

"_But, it's not going to happen."_

"_How do you know?...Even if we defeat it, it comes back, every single time…"_

"_Sora, what 'comes back'?"_

"…_The darkness…the evil in everyone's heart…" his head turned away._

"_But…it's not coming back…"_

_They were both quiet for the longest time._

"_Sora, forget about it…you're dream won't come true…" she was about to stand up and leave, but Sora grabbed her arm._

"_Kairi…whatever happens to me, remember I'll always be with you."_

"_Sora, what are you saying?" she thought for a moment, "…What took place in your dream?"_

"_I…I can't say…"_

"_Why?"_

"_You wouldn't understand…" just then, a tear rolled down his cheek._

_Kairi turned his head, "Tell me…it must be important…"_

"…_I heard a voice speaking to me…it said I had to leave…or else….."_

"_Or else what?"_

"_I can't tell you…"_

"…_..You won't leave, though…will you?"_

_Sora tried to smile, "I don't think so…"_

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Kairi read Sora's letter with disbelief:

_You guys wouldn't understand why I left…I just couldn't tell you…Donald, Goofy, and I are heading to the door…I think the heartless have returned. I just hope they haven't reached the island yet…..Riku, keep Kairi safe…_

"No…he couldn't have…" Kairi was distraught.

"What is it?" Riku wondered.

Kairi handed him the note.

After Riku read it, he spoke, "Maybe he's right…The heartless might come…again…"

"Can't we go after him?"

"We can't, Kairi…There's no way."

Author's note: That's the end of my second chappie :) I hope you will stay tuned to the next one called Purple Skies (It will start out in Sora's point of view then skip back to Kairi and Riku).


	3. Purple Skies

Author's note: Hey everybody! This chapter is in Sora's point of view in the first half, and then it goes back to Riku and Kairi…

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 3 Purple Skies**

_Sora's POV_

I decided to let Donald pilot the ship for a while, and I just sat, thinking to myself…I just knew my dream would come true if I didn't leave the island. The voice in my dream had told me I had to, or the island would've been destroyed.

I remember seeing our island getting covered by darkness…and disappearing. I remember feeling like I was falling into a never ending abyss…and seeing Riku and Kairi as they held out their hands.

Then all went black.

I vividly remember seeing a heartless in front of me with a sword in hand…but then I woke up…

I just wished Riku and Kairi were with us now……

"Sora! We're getting closer to our destination! C'mon!" Donald yelled.

I went to the cockpit and looked out the window. The sky was pitch black and I couldn't see anything in our path.

"What happened?" pondered Goofy.

"I don't know…" I was dazed and confused. Everything looked so different.

"What are we going to do?" Donald asked us, "I can't see a thing."

I had no idea what we _could_ do, trapped in a black space…a nothingness.

"Maybe we should go back," Goofy thought.

"No! We have to find out about the door. The heartless may have escaped!" I wanted to see what was going on.

"But…where is it? All the navigation systems aren't working," Donald pointed out.

"How could that've happened?"

"I have no idea…"

Goofy all a sudden exclaimed, "Look! There it is!" he pointed to a bright light in the distance.

I saw it; the illuminated star surrounded by frozen asteroid debris. The door was near……

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_Back at Destiny Islands…_

For the next couple of hours Kairi and Riku sat, wondering what to do about the situation. Kairi told Riku about Sora's dream.

"So, that at least explains why he left," said Riku.

"But why would he think that the heartless still existed?" Kairi was puzzled, "You told me that they were destroyed when the ultimate heartless was…"

"Only the ones outside the door…"

"But, how? Wasn't the door open, then?"

"Someone must've closed it."

That statement made Kairi shiver, "Oh, no……Maybe it was Ansem."

"You're probably right."

Soon, the wind began blowing violently. Trees rustled, leaves blew around, and the ocean shook.

"What's going on?...This is strange weather, "knew Kairi.

"Look!" Riku pointed up at the sky; it turned from light blue to a dense, foggy purple, "…They're here…"

_Sora? Where are you when we need you? _Kairi wished he was there.

Author's note: The heartless are back! In the next chapter, which will be quite long, you will find out what happens when Sora, Donald, and Goofy return to "the door," and what happens to Riku and Kairi on the island when the heartless attack. Stay tuned for chapter 4, Key to Darkness.


	4. Key to Darkness

Author's note: Here I am, after a looooooong and very busy weekend! I barely had any time to write this chapter up, even. But, I got it done for you guys :)

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 4 Key to Darkness**

_Sora's POV_

We landed and began to walk to the door, the one place I dreaded to come upon again. But, something was strange. No heartless were in our midst.

"This is odd…" Donald said silently.

Goofy questioned, "Yeah, where's the heartless?"

"We'll just have to find out," I told them.

Soon, the door was right in front of us.

"Well, it's open," Goofy stated obviously.

Inside, we saw something we didn't expect to see.

"There's no heartless in here, either…" I was concerned for a moment, "Where could they've gone?"

"Isn't this where the heartless are created?" Donald pondered.

"Yeah, that means all the heartless left are in other worlds, but it's gonna be hard to defeat all of them."

Goofy and Donald agreed with me.

"So where should we go?" Goofy asked us.

"Maybe we should go to your island first, Sora," suggested Donald.

I didn't want to, "No, we can't."

"But…" Goofy paused.

"I can't go back."

"Why?"

"I just…I just can't."

"Sora, we should," said Donald, "We could ask Kairi and Riku for help."

"But, I'm not supposed to go back…" I had remembered another part of my dream.

"Did you leave out a part of the dream you told us about?"

"No…"

They wouldn't believe me.

I sighed, "…Yes…Although, I don't think I should tell you about it."

"But, Sora…" Goofy started.

"Just trust me…Let's go somewhere else."

"Ok…Let's go," said Donald reluctantly.

I thought about my dream as we walked to the gummi ship. If what happened in it would come true, I could never go back to the island again…ever.

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Since they knew the heartless would be there soon, Kairi and Riku took shelter in the island shack, of course with their weapons ready.

"I can't believe Sora was right," Kairi was surprised, "And, how are we going to get rid of all these heartless alone?"

"We can't…We have to find a way to get off the island."

"But, how?"

The shack door rattled, and the heartless shrieked.

"They're trying to get in! What do we do, Riku?"

"We can only do one thing…fight," he regretted saying that.

"I was afraid you'd say that."

Soon, the door busted open and countless numbers of heartless were outside.

"Oh, my goodness," Kairi's mouth gaped open.

"How'd there get to be so many of them?"

The creatures came in and Riku and Kairi attacked. They fought for what seemed like hours.

"They're too numerous!"

"You're right, Kairi. How could we possibly fight _all_ of them off?"

Suddenly, a swarm of heartless jumped on Kairi, and she screamed.

"Kairi!" Riku ran over.

Just then there was a bright light that filled the room. Riku stopped in his tracks. The heartless were terrified and scampered away. Then, the light dimmed. It was coming from the ground.

"What is that?" Kairi stood up.

"Not sure…let's check it out."

They knelt down and began pushing the sand away. The light soon grew brighter and they stood back. A key came out of the earth, floating in mid-air.

"What would this unlock?" Riku pondered.

"I might have an idea. C'mon!"

Riku grabbed the key and followed Kairi, who was headed toward the waterfall. She pushed away some leaves, revealing a secret place. When they were inside, a door was in front of them.

"Look, it's here again. Give me the key, Riku."

Riku handed it to her and she placed it in the keyhole.

"Here it goes…" she turned it, and the door slowly opened. Inside was pitch black, "Should we go in?"

"Why not?"

They both walked in and the door closed behind them. Nothing was anywhere to be found…black space surrounded them.

"Riku, should we keep going?"

He didn't speak for a moment, then said, "C'mon."

After a long time, they could see a tunnel ahead of them.

"I wonder where it leads…Let's go, Kairi."

Author's note: The next chapter is when Sora and the others team up with some familiar people. Who, you ask? You'll find out in chapter 5!


	5. A Portal

Author's note: Hey, hey, hey, I'm back! This chapter is not as long as the last one because I didn't have much time to write it. But, it's when Sora and the others meet up with some familiar people.

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 5 A Portal**

_Sora's POV_

As we walked across the dark, misty terrain, I kept thinking about going home. But, I knew I could never go back. What happened in my dream was too awful to even think about. It was something I thought could never happen…I just couldn't tell Donald and Goofy.

We reached the gummi ship and were about to get in, when I heard a noise behind us. I turned around, and I saw what looked to me like some type of portal in the distance.

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"Look, Riku! There's an opening," Kairi told him, "C'mon!"

They stepped out into the light and found themselves in a barren wasteland.

"Kairi…" Riku recognized where they were.

"What?"

"We're at The End of the World…"

"Wow…It's such a gloomy place."

**(A/N: For the rest of the story, Sora's thoughts will be in _italics_ separate from the other parts. It starts below.) **

_I saw somebody step out of the portal; a familiar face. Someone else came out, too…As they walked closer, I knew exactly who they were…_

"Riku, Kairi!" a voice called.

Kairi turned her head and saw Sora, Goofy, and Donald ahead of her.

"Riku, there they are!" she exclaimed.

Riku and her ran toward them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sora wondered.

"Well, we found the key to 'the door' at the island, and somehow we found ourselves at this place," explained Riku.

"Sora, you should've stayed at the island! We were attacked by heartless!" said Kairi.

Sora hadn't known that, "So, they're already at the island?"

"Yeah, we sure could've used your help then," Riku told him.

"Well, now we have _your _help," said Goofy.

"Yeah," Donald agreed, "We might need it."

"Let's go," Sora stated.

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Sora paced back and forth in the storage room at the back of the ship. Many thoughts lingered in his mind. Donald had told him he would pilot the ship again.

Sora sat on a box in the corner, thinking about his horrible dream. He started crying and buried his face in his hands. Then, the door creaked open.

"Sora?"

Sora wiped his tears and stood up. Kairi stepped in.

"What are you ding back here?" she asked.

"Just thinking, I guess…"

"Are you okay?" she was a little worried.

"Sure…I'm fine."

"What've you been thinking about?"

"Not much…" he sighed.

"Sora, what's the matter?"

"Kairi, I…I don't want to talk about it now…"

"Did you have another dream?

"No…"

Kairi didn't speak for a while but then asked, "You didn't tell me everything about your dream, did you?"

"Yes, I did…but…" he gave Kairi a hug, "…I don't want to lose you…"

"Why would you?"

"I don't know…I just have this feeling that…" tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Don't worry…I won't let it happen."

"…Kai, you can't promise that..."

"I know…but I'll try…"

"Kairi…"

Their eyes met, and neither of them said a word.

Kairi gave Sora a kiss, and afterward, Sora said, "Just don't leave me, okay?"

"I won't…"

Author's note: Yay! Romance! Uh, hum…well, in the upcoming chapter they will go to a new world. (Hint: But it's not a Disney one. It's one I made up)


	6. Out of Fuel

Author's note: Sorry I took so long this time. My weekend was really busy and both my mom and brother were sick. Since the computer is in my parent's bedroom, I couldn't go in when mom wanted to "rest." But, finally, I finished it!

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 6 Out of Fuel**

"Sora! Come here quick!" Goofy shouted.

"C'mon, Kairi!" Sora told her.

When they came to the cockpit, they could see a meteor shower in their midst.

"What are we gonna do?" wondered Kairi.

"The only thing we _can_ do, at the moment, is avoid getting hit," Donald stood up, "Sora, you drive."

"But…" Sora started.

"You're better than me! Drive!"

"Okay, okay!" he took the controller, careening around the asteroids.

"We'll never make it! There's too many!" Kairi panicked.

"Don't worry, Kairi! We'll be fine," Sora reassured.

"Look out!" cried Riku.

A large meteor was coming in their direction. But, something surprising happened. It seemed as though their ship was going through it.

"What on earth is going on?" Kairi was confused.

They reached the core of the asteroid and found that they were in a huge town.

Sora realized, "This isn't a meteor…It's another world!"

They landed on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by rocky terrain.

"What is this place?" wondered Riku.

"Let's take a look around," Goofy suggested.

They walked to the city and found many residents there.

"I wonder if we can find any source of energy. Our ship is low on power," reminded Donald.

Sora knocked on someone's door. It opened, and a young girl, about sixteen, stepped out.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Hi. We were wondering if this town has a power source of some kind. Our ship doesn't have much fuel left," Sora pointed to the gummi ship in the other direction.

"I'm not sure, but my brother might know," she went back inside.

"Hey, guys! I found someone who might be able to help!" Sora called to the others.

They came over and waited for the door to open again. Soon, it did, and the girl and her brother came out.

She said, "My name is Oneida, and this is my brother, Aerus."

The others introduced themselves, then Aerus asked, "So, you guys need power for your ship?"

They nodded.

"Well," he explained, "just recently our fuel supply ran low, so we are trying to conserve it. The only way we could get more is if someone went right to the source, but no one in the city knows where it is. So, all of the people have to stay here until someone figures out where the rest of our energy supply lies."

"Do you know the nearest place that has a power source?" Riku pondered.

"Yes, but it's days away," Oneida told them.

Aerus turned to Oneida, "Do you think Aerith would know?"

"I'm not sure…Maybe."

"Wait a second!" Sora cut in, "You guys know Aerith?"

"She's our sister," replied Oneida, "But, she left years ago…How do _you _know her?"

"Sora, Goofy, and I have met her," Donald replied.

"…at Traverse Town ," Goofy added.

"She loves at Hollow Bastion now," said Sora, "With Leon and Yuffie."

"Leon and Yuffie?" Aerus had known them, "They've been here before…about a year before Aerith left. They knew about the power source……but I don't have a clue how they did."

"Then we should go visit them," thought Goofy.

"But, how would we get there? The city is low on fuel," reminded Kairi.

"Since we know who would help us get some energy, I'm sure the residents would let us use the little that's left," Oneida concluded.

Author's note: Ok, then! They're off to Hollow Bastion again in chapter 7, called Snakes. I'll have it up in a few days. See ya!


	7. Snakes

Author's note: Hey, you guys! Thanks a bunch for all of the reviews! Especially you, **Moogle Girl**. You've almost reviewed every chapter! Thanx! (Yes, you can have your cookie now) Okay, they are now headed to the world of Hollow Bastion again…

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 7 Snakes**

Now, they were on their way to Hollow Bastion, which was a very long journey. As they got closer, they could see ships surrounding the world.

"It's the heartless again!" exclaimed Kairi.

"Now what?" Goofy wondered.

Sora thought for a moment, "We have to fight…"

"But, Sora! There's too many!" said Donald.

"It's the only way."

"I think he's right," Aerus commented, "Otherwise we can't get to Aerith and the others."

"Okay…here it goes," Sora sped the ship up and flew straight toward the heartless, "Shoot our extra lasers!"

While Sora shot at them with the main guns, Riku used the extra one.

"It's not working!" Riku told Sora.

"We'll never make it!" cried Kairi.

"This isn't good…" Oneida thought.

"We have to find the main ship that's controlling all the other ones!" exclaimed Riku.

"That's right!" Sora agreed, "If we destroy it, all of the other ones will be destroyed as well."

"But, where could it be?" Kairi didn't have the slightest clue where it was.

"Hmm…"

"Hey…guys," Goofy started.

"We'll just have to keep looking."

"Hey!"

"Goofy, what now?" Donald asked.

Goofy pointed to a large ship that had just appeared, "That could be it."

The gummi was fired upon and jolted vigorously.

"Donald, shields up!" Sora commanded.

Just before the shield force was turned on, another fire from the main ship hit the front of the gummi.

"Great, they hit my gun!" Riku complained, "You're on your own, Sora."

"Look…"Aerus pointed out, "Aim for the center of the ship!"

Sora kept shooting at it, but nothing was happening.

"That's weird…"

Just then, there was a loud explosion, and the main ship was destroyed. All of the heartless ships could now no longer function and stopped shooting at their ship.

"Let's hurry!" Riku reminded, "Who knows what the heartless are up to down there!"

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When they landed, they saw that part of the castle had been destroyed and thousands of heartless were surrounding it.

"How are we going to fight all of them?" pondered Kairi.

"Aerus and I can help," Oneida suggested, "We have weapons of our own."

Goofy gulped, "Here we go…"

They ran toward the castle and the heartless began attacking in huge numbers. Soon, after everyone began fighting, the ground began to shake, and the heartless scattered.

"What's going on?" Donald wondered.

"I have a feeling I know…" Sora thought.

"What?"

"I hate to say it, but… it's their leader….for sure."

"Great…" Riku sighed.

Just then, a huge, snake-like heartless burst out of the ground.

"Let's go!" shouted Donald."

When they began to attack, three more of the same heartless appeared.

"Let's split up!" suggested Riku, "Donald and Goofy can fight one, Aerus and Oneida attack that one, Kairi and I will work together, and Sora, I guess you're on your own."

"Don't worry, I can beat this one myself. It'll be easy," Sora told him.

They all attacked, slashing at the snake heads over and over. Everyone was weakening the snakes' power. All of a sudden, the heartless began spitting out poison. It was hard for everybody to avoid the attacks.

Oneida attacked her heartless with electric daggers, and it fell. But, then it shook its head and its eyes glowed. It had regained itself and spit poison straight at Oneida, and she fainted on the ground.

"Oneida!" Aerus cried. He raised his long, black sword in anger and struck the snake with all his might. It vanished in a puff of green smoke.

Aerus ran over to his sister, "Oneida!" he shook her, "Oneida, get up!"

She lay still, and Aerus didn't have any potions. He went over to the others for help, who were still in the midst of battle.

He asked Sora, "Do you have any potions?"

"Yes," he answered, "But, can't you see I'm kinda busy?"

"I'll help!"

They both worked together, and soon defeated the heartless.

"Here," said Sora when he handed Aerus a potion, "What's the matter?"

"Oneida was poisoned and she isn't moving! I have to help her. You fight with the others."

"Okay!" Sora ran by Kairi and Riku, "Guys need any help?"

"No!" Riku told him.

"Yes!" said Kairi the same time Riku spoke.

"Well, I'm helping," Sora said to Riku. Then, he used his thunder and fire combined, destroying the creature.

"Let's go help Donald and Goofy," suggested Kairi.

When they got over there to fight, the snake had already been defeated, with Oneida and Aerus' help.

"Hurry! We need to get inside the castle!" exclaimed Aerus.

Author's note: Well, the next chapter won't come for a while because of Easter, etc. But, just to let you know, it's called Sticky Situation. Why? You'll just have to guess until I post it up :) Anyway, have a great Easter Weekend!


	8. Sticky Situation

Author's note: That's right! I decided to post up another chapter before Easter! Why, you ask? Most of our plans for today were cancelled, so I had some extra time on my hands. Yay!

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 8 Sticky Situation**

When they reached the main hallway, they could hear screams coming from the center room.

"That sounds like them!" Oneida knew, "They must be in trouble!"

All of them ran to the room and saw Aerith, Leon, and Yuffie being held by an octopus heartless and struggling to get free.

"Attack!" Goofy and Donald shouted.

They all ran toward the creature, preparing for battle, but they soon found themselves stuck in its slime. **(A/N: Which is why I called the chapter what I did) **They couldn't move.

"Just great!" Kairi exclaimed.

"I guess we'll just try our best…" Sora smiled sarcastically.

The heartless swung its tentacles at them. They barely avoided them while trying to fight at the same time.

One swung at Riku, who ducked just in time.

He thought to himself, _…I just have to wait for the right moment._

Just then, the tentacle came at him again. This time, Riku was able to attack. The heartless shrieked in pain, releasing Yuffie, Leon, and Aerith.

Then, its glaring yellow eyes looked in anger at Riku. It attacked again, but as before, Riku fought back. The octopus furious and knocked the sword from Riku's hand. It grabbed Riku, wrapping its tentacle around him, its grip firm and tight.

"Riku!" Sora shouted.

Riku cried, "Let go of me, you freak!"

It squeezed harder, and Riku couldn't move. He struggled with all his might, but all of his efforts were futile. The heartless' hold on him tightened every second, and he could hardly breathe.

The others kept fighting, but the octopus wouldn't let go. Sora, Goofy, and Donald tried using some of their magic attacks, but that didn't work either. Soon, Riku was screaming in pain.

"We have to help him!" Kairi told them.

"We've tried everything!" reminded Goofy.

"Not yet!" Aerus lifted his sword in the air. Suddenly it was surrounded by a blue glow, and it began to grow…longer and longer. He swung in the tentacle's direction and cut it off. Riku fell to the ground.

The heartless cried in agony, and then everyone worked together to destroy it. It disappeared, slime and all.

Kairi and Sora ran to Riku, loosening the tentacle that had kept its grip, setting him free from the entanglement. He wasn't moving, his eyes closed and his breathing deceased.

"Riku, are you okay?" asked Kairi.

Nothing happened.

"Riku!" Sora shook him, "…Riku!"

Riku suddenly opened his eyes, breathing heavily and coughing. He slowly got up, regaining his composure.

"Do you think you'll be alright?" Kairi wondered.

"Yeah…I'll be fine…" Riku stood up, and then began to pace back and forward, trying to gain his strength back.

Sora turned to Aerus, "How'd you learn to do that?"

"Well," he answered, "Leon's taught me everything I know."

"I'm so glad we found you three!" Oneida was relieved, "You need to come back home with us!"

"What's the problem?" Yuffie asked.

Aerus replied, "I think we should tell you on the way there…"

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They reached the asteroid, and on the way they had talked about the energy shortage.

When they landed, Oneida asked, "So?...Where _is_ the energy supply?"

"……Underground," Leon stated obviously.

"I should've known that!"

"But…how are we going to dig it up?" pondered Aerus.

"Remember that one present I gave you? Leon asked him.

"Yeah…It's in our shed. I've never used it."

"Why?"

"I never knew what it did…But, now I think I do. It's a digging tool, isn't it?"

"Yep."

"I think Yuffie and I will stay here with Leon until we get this whole thing figured out," Aerith said.

"That would be great, sis!" Oneida gave her a hug, "I'm so glad you're back!"

"Well, it was nice to see you guys again after all these years," Yuffie told Sora, "Too bad you have to leave so soon."

"Yeah," he answered, "But, you know what we have to do."

Author's note: Well, right at this moment I don't think I'll be able to post up any more until sometime next week, unfortunately. But, if you do get bored, you should read my Kingdom Hearts one-shot story called The Promise. I don't think many have read it yet because I've only had one review. So, if you have time, you should definitely check it out. Just click on my name (Anime-17) above to find it. Enjoy!


	9. More Enemies

Author's note: I hope you all had a wonderful Easter break. I also hope that school hasn't gotten too stressful for you after the weekend (unlike me). Anyway, this chapter marks about the half-way point of the story, which means I'm almost done!

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 9 More Enemies**

Soon, they were off again, out in the crowded universe, seeing what world they would end up at next.

Donald spoke, "According to the map……" he paused, "We should be…Um…"

"What is it Donald?" asked Goofy.

"Yeah, what world is close?" Kairi cut in.

"Well…actually, we're close to your home, and-"

"Oh, no! Don't bring that up again!" Sora interrupted.

"Sora, what's all this about, anyway?" Riku was curious.

"Could you guys stop talking about it?" he walked to the back of the ship.

"I should go talk to him," suggested Kairi, and she followed him. She found him sitting on a box in the back room, crossing his arms. She asked, "Sora, what's the matter?"

"Just…go away…"

"Sora, you should tell us what's bothering you."

"Why?"

She spoke, "I know you haven't told me everything about your dream…You lied to me! If it's that important, then-"

"Kairi!" he stood up, facing her, "I don't have to tell you, or any of the others anything! So, just leave me alone!"

He soon shuddered after saying that, knowing that it had come out wrong. Tears began to well up in Kairi's eyes.

He spoke again, "Kairi, I didn't mean to say that…" Sora began to cry himself. He walked over to her, putting his arms around her. She still wept.

"Kairi, I'm sorry."

"Sora…why won't you tell me?"

"I…I just don't want to…I can't…"

"Why not?"

"One day…you'll understand."

She looked up at him, "…When?"

"I don't know…Hopefully not too soon."

Riku then entered, saying, "Hey, guys, you should come up here."

"Is something wrong?" Sora responded.

"Just come!"

"…Okay…" Sora had a bad feeling that something _was_ wrong."

When they reached the cockpit, Donald explained, "It showed that Destiny Islands was only a couple of minutes away, but then it disappeared from the map. And…the area we're in looks really weird…"

"Yup, we're lost!" Goofy was worried.

**(A/N: Remember, this is Sora's thoughts) **_Just then, we all saw a large array of stars in a wavy pattern. It was the only light in any direction. So, we went toward it…_

Kairi realized, "Isn't that a milky way?"

"It sure looks like one. We passed one just like it before we got lost," remembered Riku.

"Hey, look up ahead!" Goofy pointed.

"…It's another one…" Sora was a little confused, as were all the rest.

"This place is strange," thought Kairi.

Everyone nodded silently, not saying a word. Soon after, Donald spoke.

He said, "Hey, there's a world on the map now!"

"What?" everybody said at once.

"It's not that far…"

All was silent for a moment.

"Should we go?" Kairi asked them suddenly.

"Well……Why not?" suggested Sora.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_We landed, and upon exiting the ship we saw an eerie place. Purple gooze, about a couple of inches thick, covered the planet. The air was humid, but moisturous…All was dark…in shadow…except for a tall, illuminated door in the center._

"What is this place?" Riku wondered.

A soft wind blew.

"It's creepy…" Kairi shuddered.

"Maybe we should walk toward the door, just to check it out," Donald told them.

So, they walked towards it. The closer the got, the stronger the wind was. They soon stood right in front of it.

Kairi spoke softly, "We probably shouldn't open it."

"Yeah, we should go back to the ship," knew Sora.

Riku cut in, "But, there couldn't be anything behind it. We should try."

"But, Riku-"

"Look, Sora. Just because it's a big door like Kingdom Hearts doesn't mean there's heartless inside! Stop worrying…" he slowly began to open it, "Let's just take a peek…"

Sora had many doubts in his mind at this point, _Why's he doing this?_

Riku had looked in, then turned back to face them, "As I thought…" he opened it all of the way, "Nothing."

"Uh, Riku…"

"What?"

Sora pointed in Riku's direction.

Riku turned around. Heartless started running to their exit.

"Close it!" Kairi shouted.

Riku tried, "It's stuck!"

"Run!" Goofy shouted.

They all ran to the ship.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

The gummi ship navigated through the unknown universe again.

"This is just great! Now we have to fight more heartless" Sora exclaimed.

"Okay, I was wrong!...Sorry…"

"Sorry? Sorry doesn't work in this situation, Riku!"

"Well, you shouldn't be talking! You wanted to see the world!"

"But, _you_ opened the door! How more stupid can you get?"

Kairi interrupted, "Guys, stop it!"

They both crossed their arms.

"Hey, we're back in familiar territory. Traverse Town is close," Donald informed them.

"So?" Sora shrugged.

"Who cares?" Riku turned his back to Sora.

"I think I want to be alone…" Sora started walking to the back.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Author's note: Oooooooh! More trouble! And, more heartless! What now? I'm almost done writing some more chapters, so don't be surprised if I post two of them next time :)


	10. Secrets Revealed

Author's note: Hey, guys! Today I will be posting up not one, but TWO chapters! Enjoy :)

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 10 Secrets Revealed**

The wind blew over my face, and I could hear a voice calling to me. I opened my eyes and saw that I was at our island. The air was cool and moist. Huge waves formed in the ocean. I heard the voice call again.

"Sora!" it cried, "Help!"

It kept echoing, and I tried to find where it was coming from. It seemed to be coming from the water. I ran in that direction and looked around. It called again…the voice came repeatedly. Just then, a hand came out of the water, then went back down under. I went in the water, it getting deeper every second. The voice shouted now, and I dove under to see who, or what, it was. A human shadow was far ahead, waving its arms.

"Sora!...Sora!"

I swam faster, but soon I had to come up for air. When I did, I could see the hand again, but closer this time. There was a bracelet on it. The hand went back under.

"Sora!"

I knew who it was now, the bracelet gave that away.

"Kairi!" I called. I swam under water faster now toward her. I tried to come to the surface. Then, a wave forced me to stay under. The ocean circled around me, and Kairi soon became a blur. I tried to swim above water again, but the current kept pulling me back. I began to feel dizzy.

"Sora…Sora…" Kairi's voice was fainter.

I reached my hand in her direction, and all of a sudden, the water became darker and darker, until it was pitch black. I tried to cry out, but there was no sound.

I heard a deep moaning noise all around me. Suddenly, I was hit on the back of the head, and unconsciousness began to overcome me. A familiar voice spoke…

"You have had a long journey keyblade master…Now it must end."

There was a bright glow in the distance, but soon it began to dim. As it faded, I heard Kairi's voice again.

"Sora!...Sora!"

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"Sora…Sora, come here!"

"No…Kairi…"

"Sora!"

"No!" Sora woke up with a start. He was breathing hard. _What a horrible dream! _he thought to himself. A shiver went down his spine, _Everything felt so real…_

"Sora?"

"Uh…What?"

"I kept telling you to come up by us in the cockpit. Donald thinks there's something strange about where we are…Come take a look."

"I'll be there in a minute, Kairi," he began thinking to himself again; Kairi hadn't moved.

"Sora, are you okay?"

He just sighed.

Kairi sat beside him, "I know I've asked you this already…but, please tell me. Tell me about your dream."

"Why?"

"Why? Ever since the last time I've asked you the same question…well…you haven't been yourself lately."

"I'm just…I mean…" Sora couldn't finish.

There was a pause.

Kairi turned his head and looked into his eyes, "…tell me."

Sora saw the concerned look on her face, but said, "What's there to tell, Kairi?"

"You said that you had to leave the island…but, why did you?"

"I just had to, okay."

"There must be a reason!"

Sora didn't want to answer back, but spoke after a while, "…I had to leave, or……the island would've been destroyed."

Kairi was worried, "Can you ever go back?"

"No…" he began to cry, "I can't…"

"Well, if you can't…I won't go back either…I'll stay with you."

Tears streaked Sora's face, "How could you?" he turned away, "I…"

"Sora, what are you talking about?"

"…Yes, the island won't be destroyed in I don't return, but…but, then I'll……"

"What? You'll what?"

"Kairi, I don't want to tell you, just…go back to the island."

"No! I won't go without you!"

"Then, you'll stay away from it……without me…"

"What?"

Sora tried to wipe his tears.

"Sora, what's going to happen to you?" moisture trickled down her face.

He said nothing.

Kairi shook him, "Tell me! Please! Tell me what's going to happen to you!" tears stung her eyes.

"Kairi…" he looked up, tears rolling down his cheeks, "I can't…I just can't say…"

"Sora, Kairi, hurry!" yelled Riku.

"…we better go…"

"Sora, no…"

He gently kissed Kairi on the cheek, "It'll be all right."

"No…it won't…" she sobbed.

"…I'll never leave you…" Sora put her hand in his, "No matter what my fate is…I promise."

Kairi gave Sora a hug, and she cried on his shoulder. Sora tried to comfort her as much as he could.

"C'mon!" shouted Goofy.

Kairi, slowly and reluctantly, let go. Sora wiped one of her tears.

"Let's go," he said.

Author's note: Ooooohhh…the suspense! Don't worry about it, though. The next chapter will be up shortly! (hint: it's called Dreams Happen _wink wink_)


	11. Dreams Happen

Author's note: This is probably one of my favorite parts in the story! The plot really starts to get goodstarting here. Now, you guys can read why……

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 11 Dreams Happen**

After a moment, Kairi and Sora stood up and went to the front.

"What's all the commotion about?" asked Sora.

Riku told him, "Look for yourself…"

Outside was a rainbow of colors in every direction. There were no stars in the sky.

"I'm not getting any readings of where we are," Donald explained.

"This is weird," thought Kairi.

_I had never seen anything like this before…bright colors, occasional asteroids flying by, but there were no moons or stars…or a place of civilization in sight……we were lost again…_

"Should we turn around?" Goofy pondered.

"I don't see why not. We're obviously headed for nowhere," knew Donald.

He turned the controller, but nothing happened. The ship kept moving forward. Donald also tried to go in reverse, but that didn't work either.

"Donald, what's wrong?" interrogated Kairi.

He didn't touch anything, but the steering devise moved, "Someone's controlling the gummi…"

Riku saw something ahead, "…What's that?" he directed them to look toward a dark circle.

There was a very long pause as everyone stared at it.

Sora soon realized what it was, "No one's controlling the ship, guys…That's a black hole!"

The ship headed for it faster.

Riku exclaimed, "We're being sucked in!"

As the gummi neared the dark, swirling cloud, it started to turn around in circles, and everyone lost their balance. When the spinning stopped, all of them felt dizzy. They looked out the window in and were in shock.

"What a horrible place…" Kairi shivered, "Do you think it's another world, Sora?"

He answered, "I don't know…Wait! Look over there! See that?"

"That sure is one huge building," said Goofy.

A large door opened and the gravitational force made their ship go inside and land.

"Just in case, have your weapons ready," Riku reminded.

"…Uh…what weapons?" Donald wondered.

Sora was baffled, "Who could've taken them?"

"Yeah," Kairi was also puzzled, "It's like they just…disappeared."

The ship's door opened and closed all of a sudden. Donald pushed it open again, and they all went out.

"Who's there?" shouted Riku, "Show yourselves!"

There was a loud noise behind them, and everyone turned around.

"Where's the gummi?" Sora was starting to worry.

Soon, everything surrounding them vanished, and they found themselves in another room. Its walls were made of metal, and there was onlyone pair of doors to exit out of.

"Where are we?...What's going on?" Kairi was nervous.

Suddenly, thousands of heartless began to come up from the ground, encircling them.

Sora couldn't believe it, "Oh, no…" he held Kairi's hand.

"Sora…" she looked up at him, "What is it?...What's wrong?"

"The worst thing that could possibly happen…" tears started to form in his eyes, "…Kairi……my dream in coming true."

Kairi gasped, "No…" she squeezed his hand now.

"Ansem's coming…" Sora spoke through the tears, "He's coming for me, Kairi……"

"No!"

The doors swung open, and there Ansem stood.

"I'm leaving…" Sora faced her.

"You can't go!...I love you, Sora…" tears rolled down her cheeks, "……You can't die…"

"But, I'll always be there for you…"

"How could you?"

"…I'll be in your heart, Kairi……always…"

They looked deeply into each other's eyes as the tears flowed. Then, Sora gave Kairi a warm, passionate kiss. Soon, the heartless grabbed Sora, pulling them apart.

"No, Sora! Don't leave me!" cried Kairi.

Sora looked at her, "Don't forget me!"

"I won't!"

Sora was getting pulled away toward the exit.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed.

As they were going out the door, Sora told her, "I love you!"

"Sora!"

The door closed.

"Sora! NO!" Kairi fell on her knees, weeping, "No…"

Riku walked over to her, "How did you guys know about this?"

"Sora told me it was part of his dream…He's not coming back."

"What's going to happen?"

"I don't know…I don't know……"

Author's note: Yay! I'm now starting one of the best parts of the story! Stay tuned for more updates :)


	12. Ansem's Plan

Author's note: Hey, everyone. Sorry this was posted so late. My "school life" has been very hectic lately and I've been doing homework instead of going on the computer. I know you guys really wanted to know what happens next so I'm apologizing. SORRY : (

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 12 Ansem's Plan**

_I saw Kairi as the door closed, her hand reached out in my direction. Poor Kairi…I didn't want to leave her so soon. Why?...Why did it have to happen now?..._

Sora and the heartless followed Ansem, Sora growing more nervous every second. He knew his fate…

Ansem opened a pair of small doors. And inside was a room full of buttons and screens. Each screen showed a different part of the universe.

Ansem spoke, "I've brought you here for a reason," he looked at Sora, "For two years I have been searching…Searching for where the new-born heartless were: the more large and powerful creatures' domain. I've looked in almost every world and haven't found a single clue that any heartless were there. Of course, I had the help of the heartless from behind the door…" he now looked from screen to screen, "But, we have found nothing!" his fist hit one of the buttons, and now every known world was in sight.

"What do you want from me?" Sora was curious.

"Well, the heartless must not be on any of these worlds…so, they must be in an entirely different universe," he now glanced at Sora, "One day, a heartless was in front of me. It was a type I had never seen before. Every world we went to after that, there was at least hundreds of them. And, legend tells, the only way new-born heartless could leave their civilization, is if the door to it was opened…I know your ship has the ability to go to other worlds with lightning fast speed. You must have traveled to a different universe by accident. You can only do that with warp power. One of you must've opened the heartless' realm's door, not knowing where it would lead to…"

Sora couldn't believe he had found out about that.

"You must know where the heartless lie. I want to go there so I can gain control over them, so tell me!"

Sora didn't speak.

"Well?..."

"I…I…"

"Yes?"

Sora looked up at him with a cold stare, "Never!" he shouted, "I'll never tell you!"

"What?"

"You'll have more power than you did before."

"Tell me!"

"NO!"

Ansem grew angry, "I guess I'll make one of your friends say…"

"They would tell you the same thing…"

"Would they now?" he laughed, "I bet I could convince them to tell me what I need."

"How?"

"Oh…I'll find a way," he walked closer, but soon he stopped, stretching out his hand.

Sora began to feel weak, "Wha…what's happening?"

"…Once I have your heart…they will tell me for sure."

Sora felt as though he couldn't breathe and fell on his knees, on hand on the floor, and one touching his neck.

_Why? Why this soon?_

He tried breathing, with no success. Only a little air…

"_Sora…Don't leave me!"_

A sharp pain filled him, and he grew weaker.

_Goodbye……Kairi…_

Sora fell on the floor, lifeless. His heart floated above him.

Author's note: Oh, no! What's going to happen? Don't worry, don't worry! I'm posting the next chapter up today, too :)


	13. Tell the Truth?

Author's note: The previous chapter and this chapter are short, but some of the upcoming ones are much longer, so just to let ya know, if you were wondering :)

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 13 Tell the Truth?**

Kairi thought to herself, _Sora, why? Why didn't you tell me sooner?..._She felt she was losing a part of her…Someone very special…

The doors burst open all of a sudden, and Ansem walked out.

Kairi stood up, "What did you do to him!"

The heartless came out and threw Sora to the ground. Kairi gasped.

"I have his heart now," said Ansem.

"No!" Kairi ran to Sora and knelt down, "How could you?" tears streaked her face as she held Sora in her arms.

There was silence, but then Kairi spoke again.

"Wait…" she could hear something, "He's breathing. How is that possible?"

"Even though his heart has been taken, his soul still lies within him," Riku answered, "Just like when the heartless took your heart, Kairi."

"Really?"

Riku nodded solemnly.

Kairi's tears fell on Sora's face, "How on earth can we get you back?"

"Simple…" Ansem replied with a smirk on his face, "Tell me where the most powerful heartless lie, and he will get his heart back."

"Riku?" Kairi looked up at him now, "Should we…?"

Riku didn't say anything for a while, his head facing down.

Ansem waited with anticipation.

Finally, Riku spoke, "You can find it through the third milky way."

"Well, thanks for saying what I needed to hear," Ansem turned away.

"Wait! What about Sora's heart?" Kairi reminded him.

A portal appeared next to Ansem, and he was about to step in.

"Give it to him now!" Riku commanded.

Ansem turned around and faced them. His hand reached out and began to glow. Sora's heart floated above it.

He laughed, "This?"

Everyone looked at him coldly.

His hand grew brighter, and then pointed up. The heart began to break.

"NO!" cried Kairi.

Millions of pieces fell into Ansem's hand, then disappeared, "Good luck getting it back…" he walked in to the portal.

"Wait!" Riku ran to the portal, but it vanished, "He can't do this to us!"

"It's hopeless," Kairi knew.

"...Maybe not," Riku had an idea, "I could get it back."

"But…how?"

"With the power of darkness…"

"What?"

"Remember?...Back then, I was on the dark side. Ansem once told me that there was a realm containing all hearts that had returned to darkness or had been eliminated…I just need one thing to get there," his hand reached for the sky, and a green glow surrounded him.

Goofy saw something out of a window, "What's that?"

It was flying toward the building. When it came to the window, it broke through the glass and flew to Riku, who grasped it in his hand.

"It's my keyblade," said Riku, "With it I can enter…" he swung it and a portal appeared, "…where darkness within hearts lie…Donald?"

"Yes?" he answered.

"Find the gummi ship and our weapons while I'm gone," he glanced at Kairi, "Stay with Sora, Kairi."

"Hurry back, Riku."

"I will," and with that, Riku stepped in and disappeared.

"Be careful…"

Author's note: Heads up for next time: The next chapter will be where Riku is and will relate what happens to him in the "realm" Ansem had told him about. I'm soooo excited! Only five chapters left to write!


	14. Riku's Mission

Author's note: Hey, 'yall! How was your weekend? Mine was sooo busy because of prom. After prom lasted until 5 am! And, I'm still tired from it…ok, ok I talk about myself too much don't I? I should be typing my story!

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 14 Riku's Mission**

As Riku stepped in, he looked around, _What an earth is this place?_

Darkness surrounded him, with a couple sparks of light appearing every now and then.

_Where do I go from here?..._He decided to go forward.

With every step Riku took, it made him wonder why he was even doing this. Soon, he heard shrieks to his left. He began to walk in that direction. The noises grew louder and more hideous as he came closer. Once, he felt something grab onto his leg, and he shook it off.

_What was that?_

After that he saw yellow lights everywhere, or at least that's what he thought they were. All of a sudden he heard voices above him. He looked up…thousands of hearts were there glowing brightly. Then, Riku noticed some that had begun to dim. One of them fell at his feet, shattering into pieces.

_This is strange…How am I going to get up there? _He felt around, trying to find a wall or ledge he could use to climb up. Finally he did, and began ascending to the top. When he was close enough, he could hear a different voice coming from every heart. New ones started to appear on top of the others, and they were the brightest.

_Those must be ones recently lost…_Riku climbed higher.

When he reached the top, he thought, _How am I going to find the right one?_

He listened to the voices, but none were familiar, _There's too many hearts!_

Riku pondered for a while. Then, he glanced at his keyblade.

_Maybe this will help…_

He held it up, and it glowed. One of the hearts began to glow, too.

_That's it!_

He got it and headed for the ground. On the way, something grabbed onto his leg again.

_Not now!_

Soon, something else took a hold of his arm. He finally reached the bottom, and the hands, or whatever they were, let go.

Riku walked in the direction he had come from. Again, "things" started to try and get a hold of him. He began to run. He looked behind and saw that the yellow dots were getting closer. He soon realized what they were…heartless.

_I have to get away!_ Riku sprinted now, running for his life. While running, he tripped. He tried to get back up, but he couldn't get off the ground. Heartless surrounded him.

_Oh, great!_

Something was pulling him down…the heartless came closer.

Riku held his keyblade toward the heart and they both grew bright again. The darkness began to swallow him up.

As Sora's heart vanished, Riku whispered, "Watch over Kairi, Sora…"

The heartless attacked.

"Go find…Ansem……"

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Donald and Goofy had gone to look for the ship and their weapons. Kairi just sat there, still weeping. She wished that nothing would've happened…that "the door" had never been opened in the first place.

A while later, she heard a very strange sound. Looking behind her she saw a portal open, and then close again.

_Where's Riku?_

In front of her, Sora's heart appeared.

"He did it!"…_Riku, where are you?_

She took the heart and held it above Sora. When she let go it floated, then grew brighter, and brighter. It glowed so bright, she couldn't see a thing. When it dimmed, the heart was no where in sight.

"Wha-"

"Kairi?"

She looked at Sora, "Sora! You're back!" she hugged him close.

"What happened?"

"Riku got you heart back."

"Where is he?"

"I…don't know."

"What!" Sora stood up, "What do you mean you don't know?"

She stood also, "Well…I don't know where he went…He did say something about going to where heartsdisappear towhen they are destroyed. He used his keyblade to-"

"Wait a second! You mean the one he had when he controlled the heartless?"

"Yes…he used it to open a portal……and he went in."

"Where on earth could he be?"

"Maybe he's still there."

"Maybe…" Sora paused. He could hear a voice in his head.

_Watch over Kairi, Sora…Go find…Ansem……_

"Sora, what's the matter?"

"I don't know…it's like someone's voice is echoing inside my head."

The voice spoke again.

"…It's Riku!..." he listened closely, "He's trying to tell me something…"

_Watch over Kairi, Sora…_

Sora frowned, "Oh, no…"

_Go find…Ansem…_

"He…he wants us to find Ansem."

"Oh, that's right! We told Ansem where the other heartless were."

"What! Why?"

"To get your heart back…but he destroyed it and disappeared."

"We have to stop him. Where's Donald and Goofy?"

"Looking for our weapons and the ship."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_There we were…on our way to the heartless' realm. Donald was driving cautiously, on the lookout for enemy ships. Goofy was lying down sleeping, and snoring occasionally. Kairi was asleep on my shoulder, dreaming peacefully. I held my keyblade tightly, thinking to myself. Why did Riku do that?...For me?...The words still echoed in the back of my mind…_Go find…Ansem…_I hoped he was okay…_

Kairi sat up, yawning, "Are we there yet?"

"Almost," Donald replied.

She looked at Sora and asked him, "Sora, are you okay?"

"No…" his head was down, "I'm worried about Riku."

"I'm sure he's all right. You know Riku…he can take care of himself."

"Yeah, you're probably right, but still…" he paused for a moment, "…I just hope nothing's happened to him."

Soon, the planet was in view, and Donald prepared to land.

Author's note: Now my story's getting to the best parts! And just four more chapters to go! Just to leave you in suspense, chapter 15 is called Horrible Events.


	15. Horrible Events

Author's note: Hiya Folks! This chapter is pretty long compared to some of the other ones. So, have fun reading!

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 15 Horrible Events**

_We stepped out of the gummi and were amazed at what we saw. The purple ooze we had seen was now a thin, black, oily substance…It looked like an entirely different world. Flashes of light flickered in the sky, and the door...the door was no longer there…_

"This place sure is different," said Goofy obviously.

"Well, what now?" Kairi asked.

Sora suggested, "Maybe we should just start walking…I mean, we'll find something eventually."

Just when they all started heading in one direction, thousands of bat-like heartless came flying from the sky, getting closer.

"Well, we sure found something!" stated Donald.

"Run!" Goofy shouted.

"To the ship!"

They started running, faster and faster, but the heartless were catching up. They were now almost the gummi when more heartless came up from the ground, blocking their way.

"Oh, great!" Sora exclaimed.

More heartless were now approaching, starting to surround them.

"How will we fight this many?" worried Kairi.

Sora replied, "I guess we just have to."

Kairi sighed, "…Great."

The battle began, and all of the heartless began to multiply.

"How is that possible?" Sora wondered, "…Everytime we destroy some, more appear!" he swung at the spider heartless around him, one by one.

The bat heartless swooped down by Goofy and Donald.

"Guys, duck!" Kairi warned them.

But, they didn't hear her and were picked up by the creatures' claws.

"Donald! Goofy!" Kairi saw them taken into the distance.

Meanwhile, Sora still fought, with not much success.

"There's too many!" he swung and swung, but few disappeared.

Then, Sora heard a noise behind him and turned around. Seeing something being swung at him, he ducked, and just in time. Before him stood a seven foot tall heartless with spiked chains for arms. It attacked over and over, Sora dodging every time, barely able to escape the attacks.

"Sora!" Kairi cried. She was surrounded by zombie heartless and was struggling to keep them away.

Sora turned, "Kairi!" he was about to go to her rescue, but suddenly he was hit from behind and fell on the ground unconscious.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

I woke up, my head throbbing with pain, _What happened?..._I stood up, looking around……no one. Just then, I realized that my keyblade was no where in sight, _Ansem must have it…I have to find him._

I walked for a while, still seeing nothing anywhere. Soon, though, I saw a small building in the distance and ran to it. The door was part way open, and I stepped in. There was a stairway going down and underground.

_Here it goes…_I descended, and when I reached the bottom I found myself in a huge room filled with many buttons and gadgets.

_This is where Ansem is, all right, _I thought. I looked in a corner and gasped, seeing Kairi on the ground, not moving.

"Kairi!" I ran over to her and knelt by her side, "Kairi, what happened?"

She whispered, "The…the heartless……they…"

"Kairi, don't speak. You're hurt…" a tear rolled down my cheek, "It's all my fault…I should've protected you."

"Sora…"

"Kairi, don't…"

"…S-Sora…"

Suddenly, I took a painful blow to the head. I got up and turned…Riku stood there.

"Riku, didn't you know it was me?" I asked, confused.

He said nothing.

"C'mon, stop fooling around!"

Riku looked up, his eyes ignited by a red glow.

"Riku!"

Riku swung his fist at me, and I fell with a thud. I stared at him, puzzled, wiping the blood from my mouth. He raised his sword, ready to strike.

"Cease!" a loud voice spoke.

Ansem stepped in, "Be patient, my young apprentice…the time _will_ come."

_Apprentice?_ I wondered. I stood to my feet, "What did you do to him!"

Ansem ignored the subject, "So, our paths cross again, keyblade master."

I remembered about Kairi, "What happened to her?" I knelt again, holding her in my arms, "…Why is she like this?"

Ansem replied, "She was attacked by the heartless, not being able to resist their power. See for yourself."

I then noticed a large black scratch on her leg, and it grew bigger every second.

"They meant to turn her into one of their own."

"What! No!" I held her close, "…Why?" tears streaked my face.

"She will turn into a heartless shortly…"

Tears of sadness and anger formed in my eyes, "No…Kairi……"

"Give him his keyblade," Ansem ordered Riku.

I turned my head, "Huh?"

"We want to have a fair fight, don't we?"

Riku hesitated.

"Do it!"

My weapon was thrown on the floor near me.

Kairi said, "Sora…go…"

"But, Kairi…"

"…g…go…" she barely spoke.

I thought for a moment, the picked up my keyblade, standing to face him, "Let's do it…"

Ansem chuckled, "So be it."

Riku ran toward me, and I attacked with magic. He stopped dead in his tracks.

_That's it?_...I attacked again, and he stumbled……

……But…I wondered, _This id Riku…I don't want to hurt him…do I?..._

Just then, I was attacked and cried in agony. Riku smiled cruelly and glared at me in anger. He swung again, and I felt immense pain as I fell to the floor, flat on my back, my keyblade landing far away. I gritted my teeth as I tried to move, but the pain was too much. I felt as though a dagger had been thrusted into my side.

I tried to get up again, but I was too weak, and my keyblade was out of reach. Riku stood over me, raising his sword again.

I thought, _So…this is how it's going to end..._

His sword came down, and all turned black…

_Ansem commanded Riku, "Bring him…but, leave the girl."_

_Riku grabbed Sora, dragging him along. Kairi still lay in the corner, unable to save Sora…or even herself._

Author's note: Yay! I love cliffhangers :) Next chapter will be up ASAP


	16. The Heartless Realm

Author's note: Oh, man! I am having a horrible day! I've had a cold since Wednesday and I feel awful! Even though I don't feel that good, I still wrote this next chappie for ya because I'm close to finishing the story.

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 16 The Heartless Realm**

Sora opened his eyes, unable to move his arms. They were chained tight and hung from the ceiling. He looked below him…black…darkness, _I have a bad feeling about this……_

Ansem and Riku entered.

"What a view from up there, huh?" Ansem laughed cruelly, "…where the heartless of this planet are created. It's wonderful, isn't it?"

Sora struggled for freedom, but all efforts were futile.

"Well, my young opponent…this is where we must say goodbye. I'm headed to your island to complete part of my quest for the domination of the universe……and…" he smiled, "…your 'heartless' friend will be coming with me."

Sora wanted to speak, but his mouth was gagged.

"…she will sure come in handy," with that, Ansem left, Riku close behind.

_Sora's POV_

_NO! Kairi! _I knew I could do nothing to help her now. I was trapped…I dreaded what surrounded me…I didn't want to think about……death…a cruel death…One I could not escape no matter how hard I tried…_This can't be happening……Kairi…_

Suddenly, black claws tried to grab me from below, trying to pull me in…pull me into that dark, empty abyss. They were successful in their attempt, grabbing my shackles and tearing them from the ceiling. I fell…splashing into the muk…my chains came loose.

I came to the surface, taking off the cloth that had gagged me. I began to swim toward the exit…my effort was useless. Claws grabbed me, pulling me under again. I struggled to get free of their grasp and was soon able to. I came up, gasping for air, swimming away again. Now, rope-like goose came up out of the dark, entangling me. Soon it covered most of my face, unabling me to breathe.

I was forced into the darkness and I couldn't move because of their firm grip. I needed air soon; I started to feel dizzy. My head was throbbing with pain, the goose tightened more and more every second. It felt as thought the life was being sucked out of me…I was struggling to stay alive.

The rope attempted it's final, life-crushing squeeze and tightened quickly. A sharp, intense pain shot through me, and I knew it was the end…The goose loosened, declaring its victory…my world faded……

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"Let go of us!" Donald cried.

The heartless just ignored him and kept flying.

"Please!" Goofy pleaded, "Let us go!"

Just then, the bat heartless dropped them and they fell.

"We didn't mean _literally_!" shouted Donald.

They landed on the barren earth with a thud.

"Ouch…" Goofy slowly got up, "Now what?"

"We go find Sora and Kairi, that's what!" Donald said courageously.

They began to walk in the direction they had come from and after a while saw a building close by.

"Wonder who lives there," Goofy thought curiously.

Donald just rolled his eyes, "C'mon!"

They went inside and came to a strange room.

Goofy noticed something, "Hey, Donald, look!" A weapon lay on the floor in the corner.

"It's Sora's keyblade! He must be around here somewhere."

They grabbed the keyblade and started looking around. Soon, they came to two large doors.

"They're not locked!" Goofy said in surprise when he opened one.

"Let's go!"

They tiptoed inside and saw a very frightful scene. Everything surrounding them was black and darkness. With the light shining in from outside, they could see some links of a chain hanging from the ceiling.

"You don't think…" Donald started.

All of a sudden, Sora's keyblade began to glow brightly.

"Uh…Donald…"

"Not now!"

"But-"

Then, an enormous light came from the center of the room.

Donald gasped, "What the-"

The light grew bigger and soon something emerged from the depths.

"Sora!" Goofy exclaimed.

Sora's body floated toward them and landed at their feet. The glow around him and the keyblade faded.

"Sora! Sora!" Donald shook him.

"…Riku…" Sora mumbled.

"Huh?" Goofy was confused.

"……Kairi…….."

"What's the matter with him?"

"Let's take him out of the room for starters," suggested Donald.

Afterwards, Donald asked, "Goofy, do you have any potions?"

"Yeah…but just one."

"Let's hope that's enough," he took it from Goofy's grasp.

Sora muttered again, "…Kairi……"

Donald gave him the bottle of medicine and they both waited.

Soon, Sora opened his eyes.

"Goofy?...Donald?...What happened?"

"Why don't you tell us," said Doand.

"But…But, how…"

"…'How' what?" Goofy wondered.

"I thought…I though I was dead."

"Well, first of all, your keyblade started glowing, then _you_ started glowing, then-"

"Wait! Where's Ansem? Did you guys see him leave?"

"We thought he was still here," thought Donald, "But, apparently not."

"We have to go back to the island!" Sora told them as he stood.

"But, you said you couldn't go back there because-" Goofy stopped.

"I have to. Riku and Kairi are in danger," he started to walk away.

Donald stated, "But, what about your dream?"

Sora didn't stop, his keyblade gripped tightly in one hand.

"Sora, wait!"

Author's note: Pheeew! That took a while to type up! Anyway, heads up for next time: Chapter takes place on the island when Ansem and Riku face Sora, possibly for the last time :)


	17. Return to the Island

Author's note: Man, I've had a loooong day! We had band and choir competition during school and I am pooped!...Anyways, this is the second to LAST chapter :)

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 17 Return to the Island**

"Apprentice…" Ansem ordered, "Land there," he pointed to Destiny Islands.

Without saying a word, Riku nodded and steered in that direction. They soon landed, and when they stepped out, Ansem called the heartless to him.

"Heartless, come forth! This is the first stop on our list," he chuckled.

"Hold it right there!" a voice called.

"What?"

Before Ansem stood three familiar figures.

"Impossible! How did you-"

"Simple. Our ship's a lot faster than yours," Sora smirked.

"All right, then," said Ansem, "You'll have to get to me the hard way!"

Just then, many heartless stood in their way, and Riku joined them.

The fight began and they started destroying the heartless one by one. Sora saw Riku standing nearby and swung at him. Riku blocked, smiling a cruel smile, his red eyes glowing with fury.

They pushed their weapons against each other and Sora had the upper hand, until heartless started attacking from behind. Sora started attacking them instead and surprisingly, Riku just stood there doing nothing.

Sora turned around to find him smiling with his arms crossed. Ansem began laughing.

"Yes! My plan worked out just as I expected!" he exclaimed.

_What is he talking about? _Sora thought to himself.

Just then, all of the heartless disappeared…except for one that lay on the ground behind Sora, motionless. Sora bent down, examining it.

"I thought I had already destroyed this one…Why didn't it disappear?" he wondered.

Ansem chuckled again, "Why do you think?"

Sora gasped as he saw the blackness of the being fade away.

"No…No…"

Soon, a human was revealed.

"No…" moisture formed in Sora's eyes, "……Kairi…"

_My dream had come true…Just like when I couldn't reach her in the water…I couldn't reach her now...She was gone..._

"It's all my fault…" Sora's cheeks were streaked with tears as he held Kairi close, "…It's all…my fault……"

Ansem spoke, "You have had a long journey, keyblade master…Now it must end," he smiled, "…just like her's did."

Suddenly, Sora was stuck from behind and fell to the ground. Riku stood above him and grinned. For some reason, the pain kept increasing and Sora couldn't move. Riku's keyblade was surrounded by a purple glow, and then Sora knew Riku had cast some sort of darkness spell or curse on him.

_Everything around me started to become blurry. As my world faded, I took Kairi's limp hand in mine and whispered softly, "I'm…so sorry, Kairi……but, now…you won't be alone anymore…"_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Riku was fighting between his thoughts:

_I have to help Sora!...Why did I even hurt him in the first place?..._

Ansem ordered you to do it! Listen to your master!

_Why can't I control myself? What's wrong with me?_

Stop that! You are the dark ruler's mighty apprentice! You always do what he commands…

_What's this weird voice inside my head? It's like it's taking over my every action…my every thoughts……_

"_Apprentice, finish him off!"_

Do as your master bids you…

_No! I can't…_

You can't escape it…the urge to destroy is flowing through your veins and inflicting you as it did when Ansem and you became one being…You are chained…bound to the darkness!

_No…No……_

Do it now!

_No…_

Do it!

……_NO!_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Just then, a massive glow surrounded Riku that grew bigger and brighter.

Ansem cried, "No! It can't be!"

A voice echoed inside Riku, _"No! You can't do this! You can't destroy me!"_

Then, a great, black aura circled in a dizzying pattern around Riku's form. It suddenly flew up in the air and made the skies thinder before it vanished.

Riku spoke, "I think I just did."

Author's note: I know that was a pretty short chapter, but that's only because the last chapter will be MUCH longer! And, I will post it very soon. (Maybe even tomorrow, cuz I've written it but not typed it yet) So, stay tuned for the FINAL chapter called The Journey.


	18. The Journey

Author's note: Wow, I can't believe my story is already finished! Thanks for all of your reviews and comments. Enjoy the last chapter (get the hankies handy)

**Adventure of Dreams**

**Chap. 18 The Journey**

"It's not possible!" shouted Ansem.

Riku turned to him, "Ansem…you can't control me anymore…Darkness no longer lies within me!"

"No!"

"I will now destroy you once and for all!"

"We'll come help, Riku!" called Goofy.

Just as Donald and he were about to come to Riku's aid, Ansem placed an invisible force field around them, and they couldn't move.

"I think not," Ansem said.

"Looks like I'll have to get rid of you myself," Riku told him.

"Oh, will you?..." he disappeared.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, many replicas of Ansem surrounded Riku, laughing cruelly.

"Oh, great…"

"Here is your challenge…" all of them spoke in unison, "Guess which one of these is the real me and I will finally be defeated."

"That's it?...Wait…what's the catch?"

"Well…Guess wrong and…you'll face the consequences," they all laughed, "You'll get six chances and if you haven't guessed by then, you will have already perished."

"Sounds like you just want to make this easy for you and hard for me…" Riku looked at Sora and Kairi, "…but I'll accept your challenge," he raised his sword in the ready position, _Hmm…who first?..._

Riku walked toward one and struck, but he was shot back with a powerful force.

"One…" the 'Ansems' echoed.

Riku tried again…still no success, and this time the reverse impact was more painful.

"Two…"

_Just my luck! _Riku sighed……_I do still have four more choices…_

Unfortunately, his next two turns repeated the last times and he cried out in agony.

"Four…Now what?"

Ten more 'Ansems' were still circled around Riku, _Just great!...How am I going to do this?..._

He slowly walked closer to one on his right. Another Ansem behind him spoke, "Are you sure?" The other Ansems repeated it.

_Is he just trying to trick me?..._Riku grew a little more confident and moved toward the same one, little by little.

But, before he had the chance to strike, a purple surge flew at him and he took a deathly blow. As Riku fell to the sandy earth, he screamed. Many surges of electric current raged inside him, and when they finally stopped, Riku still felt an enormous pain every time he breathed.

"Five…" they all snickered, "You can't destroy the leader of darkness!"

Riku slightly turned his head, seeing Sora still alive, but barely moving. He thought to himself, _If he…can do it…so can I……_

Slightly able to, Riku came to his feet. He glanced around at the figures laughing in his face……but there was one laugh…a very distinct laugh that he had heard before.

Riku heard it coming from the human form right in front of him. He stabbed it with his sword, and Ansem gasped. The others vanished.

"No…" Ansem stuttered, "How did…How did you……"

Riku smiled, "…I have my ways."

Ansem began to melt away…_literally_. His voice muffled underneath a large, black, bubbling puddle until it was gone.

"Good riddance," Riku dropped his sword, realizing he was still in pain. He barely managed to walk over to Kairi and Sora. Donald and Goofy joined when their force field disappeared.

Riku bent down at the slightly breathing Sora, "C'mon, Sora…you're stronger than this. You came back once before, you can do it again!" Riku encouraged.

Sora breathed faster and heavier.

"That's it! C'mon!"

All of a sudden, Sora's eyes flew open and he sat up.

"…Riku?"

"Sora, I knew you could do it!"

"What?...You were the voice echoing?"

"Yes."

"Wait…what happened? Where's Ansem?"

"He's gone…forever."

"Um…Riku……Thanks…for bringing me back to the light."

Riku smiled…but soon it turned upside down, "But…"

"What? 'But' what?"

"What about……" Riku looked to his left, "What about Kairi?"

Sora frowned, too, looking down at her figure, "I…I don't know."

All of their heads were soon bowed…Sora thought for a moment as tears began to form, "…Guys?"

They looked up.

"I'm going on a journey……"

"A journey?" Donald wondered.

"Uh…what kind?" asked Goofy.

"I'm not sure…I don't know what lies ahead, but I know I have to take it…"

They were all puzzled.

"I just need all of you to promise me something…"

They nodded.

"…Take care, ok?"

He glanced at Riku.

"While I'm gone, Riku, watch over her."

"Don't worry about a thing…" Riku patted Sora on the back.

Sora slowly stood, staring out into the blue.

"Riku…"

"Yes?"

"Can I borrow you sword?"

"Why? Do you need to fight off the rest of the heartless?"

"Here…just give it here…"

Riku hesitated, but gave in, "…Okay."

Sora held it and glanced at them, "You'll keep your promises?"

They all nodded again.

Sora looked Riku in the eye and knew he would……

Then, suddenly, Sora stabbed himself with the blade and stumbled.

"Sora!" exclaimed Riku.

Sora soon collapsed.

"SORA!"

Sora lay on the ground breathing softly. A shimmering glow surrounded his form and Kairi's. His heart soon floated in mid-air, then went over and entered Kairi. His glow soon diminished.

Kairi aroused, seeing Sora next to her, "Sora?...Sora!" she cried, "What's wrong with you?"

Surprisingly, he spoke, "I…I gave you my heart……"

Tears brimmed Kairi's eyes as she spoke, "No……No…"

"There's not much time…" Sora whispered, "…My world's fading."

"But, you can come back…You can come back like last time, can't you?"

"…This isn't like that…I'm leaving…"

Kairi couldn't stop the tears from falling and took Sora's hand in hers, "But you said you would always be with me……"

"I will…"

"…How is that possible?..."

Sora forced a smile, trying to hide his pain, "……Our hearts are connected, Kairi…we can never be apart."

Kairi held him close as she kissed him, one last time. Sora's hand soon lost its grip from hers and slipped away…his last breath was taken.

His form began to glow and dissolved. The wind blew violently and sparks of light shone everywhere. As the wind died, Kairi stared out into the open sea and the soft breeze blew across her face.

"_I'll be in your heart, Kairi……always…"_

**THE END**

Author's note: Told you to get hankies! Anyway, I probably won't be posting any more long stories, but I might be posting up some one-shots. Also, make sure to check out my Kingdom Hearts one-shot called The Promise. Just click on my name (Anime-17) to find it. I will see you all soon :)

Anime-17


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